Chances are, it won’t be easy to sign such a big-time piece of the puzzle in a week or so.

Teams like the Winnipeg Jets signed restricted free agents such as Evander Kane before the lockout – sometimes with precious little remaining time – but Subban ranks among Jamie Benn and Michael Del Zotto as noteworthy RFAs waiting for new contracts.

Yet when you look at how much Montreal depends on the 23-year-old defenseman, it’s hard to claim that he lacks any leverage. While his scoring numbers didn’t match his workload increase, Subban played a big role, averaging more than 24 minutes per game.

It’s tough to imagine him being much less integral to the Canadiens’ defense – unless he’s watching from afar without a contract.